URECAT - UFO Related Entities Catalog

URECAT is a formal catalog of UFO related entities sightings reports with the goal of providing quality information for accurate studies of the topic. Additional information, corrections and reviews are welcome at patrick.gross@inbox.com, please state if you wish to be credited for your contribution or not. The main page of the URECAT catalog is here.

Brief summary of the event and follow-up:

In St-Bernard Lacolle, near Hemmingford, Quebec, Canada, on August 7, 1954, at 07:30 p.m., Gabriel Coupal, 13, probably with his brother Henri, were riding a horse in a field when they saw a 9-foot luminous ball land 150 feet away; after landing it turned black.

A door opened, and "a man with big round eyes", 7 feet tall, came out, dressed in skintight black "rubber" except for the head, and carrying a "machine gun." There is also mention of a "buzz like a bee."

The man approached and the boys ran their horse for the house, while the UFO rose, passed near them, and landed again near the horse barn. It was apparently observed at least one hour and was now, under the moonlight, looking like a soap bubble with a black "cable" underneath at the end of which a square thing hanging." Three men were seen walking around it.

Mrs Coupal telephoned Hemmingford to get another witness, but when three people arrived the object took off, glowing orange. It had been present for an hour or more. Where it had rested was found a 30-foot circle of flattened grass.

Although the occurrence was mentioned in the press several times and the witnesses interviewed on tape, not much of it has survived in the ufology literature, only fragmentary summaries seeming to have survived.

Basic information table:

Case number:

URECAT-000243

Date of event:

August 7, 1954

Earliest report of event:

August 12, 1954

Delay of report:

Witness reported via:

Not known.

First alleged record by:

Local newspaper.

First certain record by:

Ufology book.

First alleged record type:

Local newspaper.

First certain record type:

Ufology book.

This file created on:

July 15, 2007

This file last updated on:

July 15, 2007

Country of event:

Canada

State/Department:

Quebec

Type of location:

Field and farm.

Lighting conditions:

Jour

UFO observed:

Yes

UFO arrival observed:

Yes

UFO departure observed:

Yes

UFO/Entity Relation:

Certain

Witnesses numbers:

2, 3 or more

Witnesses ages:

13, teenager, adult

Witnesses types:

Teenagers and farmer.

Photograph(s):

No.

Witnesses drawing:

Possibly.

Witnesses-approved drawing:

Possibly.

Number of entities:

1, 3

Type of entities:

Humanoid

Entities height:

2.15 meters

Entities outfit type:

One piece tight fitting rubber-like.

Entities outfit color:

Black.

Entities skin color:

Not reported.

Entities body:

Not reported.

Entities head:

Not reported.

Entities eyes:

Two, large, round.

Entities mouth:

Not reported.

Entities nose:

Not reported.

Entities feet:

Not reported.

Entities arms:

Not reported.

Entities fingers:

Not reported.

Entities fingers number:

Not reported.

Entities hair:

Not reported.

Entities voice:

None heard.

Entities actions:

Came out of UFO, departure, at next landing, 3 walked near UFO, departure.

The following is from an non-referenced article from a non-sourced UFO bulletin, and stored in the US Air Force Project Blue Book UFO research archive:

A striking parallel is apparent between the Torpo case and the Hemmingford, Quebec landing of August 28, 1954. Here too a spherical craft was reported, with "men" (seven feet tall) dressed in black, with "big round eyes" (unfortunately, no further detail is available.) The Hemmingford case's claim to acceptance likewise rests principally on the good impression of honesty and sanity given by the witnesses (Mrs. Coupal and sons) in a taped interview, for which the saucer world is indebted to investigator Dr. A.O. Dittmar of Sable Forks, N.Y. (Dr. Dittmar, director of Tape Recorded UFO Information Service, generously offers to copy tapes from his collection for those who send a spool of blank tape with directions about speed, etc. Although he does this gratis, you ought to send a couple of dollars to repay him for his time.)

The English ufologist indicates that on August 10, 1954, close to Hemmingford in Quebec, children named Coupal were in a field at 09:30 p.m. when they were followed to their farm home by a bright light.

The father and the older son went to the field, and saw an orange-hued object rise and speed off towards the west.

Grass flattened on fourty feet was found.

Harold wilkins indicates that his source is The Gleaner, Huntington, Quebec.

Albert Rosales indicates in his catalogue that in Hemmingford, Quebec, Canada, on August 7, 1954, at 07:30 p.m., Gabriel Coupal, 13, saw a 9-foot luminous ball land 150 feet away; after landing it turned black.

A door opened, and "a big tall man with big round eyes" came out, dressed all in skintight black rubber except for his head, and carrying a "machine gun." There was a "buzz like a bee."

The man approached and the boys ran their horse for the house.

The UFO rose, passed close by them, and landed again near the horse barn. It "had a black cable with a square thing hanging." In the moonlight, it looked "like a soap bubble," and three men were seen walking around it.

Mrs Coupal telephoned Hemmingford to get another witness, but when three people arrived the object took off, glowing orange. It had been present for an hour or more. Where it had rested was found a 30-foot circle of flattened grass.

Donald Johnson indicates that on August 10, 1954 at 09:30 p.m., Gabriel Coupal, 13, and his younger siblings said they saw a brightly lighted object follow them to their farm in Hemmingford, Quebec, Canada. It landed, a figure exited and appeared to engage in some repair activity.

Mr. Coupal and his oldest son went to the field where the children had been playing and saw an orange object rise from the ground and speed off to the west.

Grass was flattened down over a 15-meter area with two tracks about five meters long.

Donald Johnson indicates that the sources are Harold Wilkins, Flying Saucers Uncensored, page 237; the Huntingdon Gleaner for August 18, 1954; Fate, for March 1955, page 19; the Albany (NY) Times-Union for November 27, 1955.

In a different entry, he indicates that on August 7, 1954, at 07:30 p.m., Gabriel Coupal, 13, and another boy were out riding a horse when they saw a luminous, nine foot wide sphere land 150 feet away from them in Hemmingford, Quebec.

The sphere turned black after landing, a door opened, and "a big tall man with big round eyes" got out, dressed in a skintight black rubber diver suit that covered his entire body except the head. He carried what looked like a "machine gun" and there was a "buzz like a bee."

The man approached and the boys galloped their horse for the house, then the UFO rose, passed close by them, and landed again near the horse barn. It "had a black cable with a square thing hanging" from it. In the moonlight, this landed UFO looked "like a soap bubble," and three men were seen walking around it.

Mrs. Coupal phoned Hemmingford to get another witness, but when three more people arrived the object took off, glowing orange. It had been present for an hour or more, and there was a circle of flattened grass 30 feet in diameter where the object had rested.

Points to consider:

Isn't it most unfortunate that a case which seems to have been published in several press articles, in which a taped interview of the witnesses was made, in which there seemed to be several, possibly independent witnesses involved, with a UFO and occupants apparently at close sight and lengthily see, and apparently landing traces that could have been investigated, has become nothing more that a few bits of an obviously incomplete and meager report, that even appears contradictory at times?

All I can hope now is that some Quebec ufologist gets inspired by this file and checks out newspaper archive, finds the witnesses or the relatives or the residents of the place and keeps me informed.

List of issues:

Id:

Topic:

Severity:

Date noted:

Raised by:

Noted by:

Description:

Proposal:

Status:

1

Data

Severe

July 15, 2007

Patrick Gross

Patrick Gross

Missing Dr Adolph Dittmar's tape record.

Help needed.

Opened.

2

Data

Severe

July 15, 2007

Patrick Gross

Patrick Gross

Missing in the newspaper Huntingdon Gleaner, August 18, 1954.

Help needed.

Opened.

3

Data

Severe

July 15, 2007

Patrick Gross

Patrick Gross

Fragmentary information only.

Help needed.

Opened.

Evaluation:

Extraterrestrial visitors. Insufficient information.

Sources references:

* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.